Apparatus for locating foreign bodies



De c 1 1, 13 45 A DE LORIMIER 2,390,520

' APPARATUS FOR LOCA'IING FOREIGN BODIES Filed June 21, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r. a 1 .mg w E w m L? .7 4 6 I; 9. 1 M 2 w w .m 7 l u Mm a I? a 1 2 m 1 8 m i 11{1945- A. A. DE LORlM lER 2,390,520

APPARATUS FOR LOCATING FOREIGN BODiES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 21, 1945 k1 Ng I a non, nfoz Afred A. dLor/mr'er Patented Dec. 11, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR LOCATIN G FOREIGN BODIES Alfred A. de Lorimier, United States Army, Memphis, Tenn.

ApplicationJune 21, 1943, Serial No. 491,640 Claims (01. 33-189) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manudetermined; t

' One object of the invention is to'provide a simple and accurat means for obtaining the location of a foreign 'object embedded within the body of f a patient, said location being in a different plane to one in which the object has already been ,cated byother means; and for marking the'body of the patient to identify the location of said object with respect to said plane.

Another object of the invention is to provide an easily and quickly operated device for obtaining asecond location of foreign objects, without the use of X-rays, in a plane at right angles to the plane in which location has already been established.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent.

to those skilled in the art to which it relates by reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification.

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are represented by similar reference characters:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the assembled device;

in operative position.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the horizontal slide member, partially sectionalized to show the means for clampin the same at any position along the horizontal arm;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the slide member showing in detail the tubular casing which incloses clamping slides;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the upper and lower clamping slides and their end retaining plates;

Fig. 8.is a perspective view showing a modified form of horizontal measuring scale.

After having located a foreign object embedded Within the body of a patient, in a single plane, and having determined its distance from the skin of the patient in this plane, by any of the methforeign object with respect to another plane in order to simplify the operation for its removal, and for this purpose the means which form the subject matter of this invention are utilized.

Briefly stated, the device comprises a measuring instrument by which themeasurement of the depth of the object beneath the skin of the patient in one plane, as measured by X-ray or other devices designed for this purpose, can be utilized for obtaining the depth thereof beneath the skin of the patient in another plane.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the numeral Ill designates the vertical measuring arm of the device. This arm is provided with a handle II which is attached at its upper extremity. The vertical arm comprises a standard l2 of rectangular cross-section which is formed by combining an elongated member of U-shaped cross-section l3 with a flat strip l4,the latter being graduated preferably in centimeters on its outer surface to form a scale 22.

The flat graduated strip [4 projects sumciently beyond the side walls 15 and [6 of the U-shaped member l3 to allow the attachment of a vertical slide member IT. This slide member is provided with a groove l8 which fits the graduated strip l4 and is retained thereto by longitudinal strips 19 and 20, as shown in Fig. 2.

Within the slide member I! is a rectangular opening 2! into which projects the indicating memb r 9. The opening 2| functions as a window for observing the scale 22 on the strip l4. Beneath the openin 2| a horizontal leveling arm 23 is either attached to. the slide I! or formed integral therewith and projects at 90 therefrom.

The horizontal leveling arm 23 comprises a beam of rectangular cross-section provided with I a longitudinal T-shaped groove 24 which retains ods and. apparatus used for this purpose, the

a slida le scale member 25 graduated in centimeters. This scale is provided with a nib 8 at one end thereof which is bent upward at Instead of the type of scale designated by the numeral 25, a spool wound tape may be used as indicated by the numeral 25' in Fig. 8. The end of the tape can be attached to arm 23 and moved with it.

The vertical arm H) which is provided with the scale 22 may beraised or lowered with respect to the horizontal arm 23' by passing it through the vertical slide member I1, and its relative position with respect to the horizontal member noted on the scale.

The vertical arm is provided with a lower end piece or marker foot 26 which is attached to the standard l3 and the scale strip [4 by the screws 21. This marker foot 26 projects at an angle of about 60 from the axis of the standard or vertical member 12 and is provided with a central passage 28 in which is slidably fitted a small The piston 32 is depressed by means of a bell,

crank lever 36 which is pivotally mounted'within the hollow upper member 3'! of the handle- H, one arm of the lever projecting through the opening 31. The bell crank, which is operated byfinger pressure, projects the marker 30 beyond the extremity of the end piece 29 through the interrjnediate action of the pistons 29 and 32 and. the Bowden wire. 3|.

Uponthe horizontal arm 23 is mounted a leveling slide 38 which comprises a supporting sleeve 39, .a handle 48 and an aligning plate 4?. The supportingsleeve39 consists of tubular members 42and 42' which are'welded or otherwise connectedto the side members 48 and 49 of the handle. These tubular members 42 and 42" register with circular openings 43. and 44 at one end .of the handle 49. The handle i of sheet metal bent centrally to form fiat surfaces 45, 45' and 46 for. attachment to the aligning plate 41 and to provide .the upwardly extending side members 48 and 49 which attach to a gripping member 50.

Within .the tubular supporting sleeve are 10- cated an upper and a lower clutch member 5i and 5| which are formed of lorn itudinally extending strips provided respectively with grooves 52 and 52' which slidably fit the horizontal arm 23. When the horizontal arm is slidably mounted between the clutch members 5| and 5| there is sufficient spacing between the latter to prevent them touching along their adjacent edges 52, 52 and 53, 53' and to allow them to grip the horizontal arm 23 to which they are fitted sufficiently tight to prevent too easy slippage. To the bottom of the groove 24 inthe horizontal arm 23 is attached a spring 54 which retains the sliding scale member in any position it is set.

The clutch members 5! and 5! are retained within the tubular sleeve members 42 and 42' by means of the end pieces 56, 5'! and 58, 58' which are shown in detail in Fig. 7 and arefixed by screws to the clutch members.

The 'end piece 55 is bent at a 90 angle and extends over a portion of the sleeve as shown in Figs. 1 to l and in detail in Fig. 7. To this upper extended portion is attached a double level indicator 59 provided with two liquid tubes 89 and 60' arranged at right angles to each other and adapted to ind cate when the aligning plate is .in a horizontal plane.

the suction cups attached thereto are placed light-,

ly uponthe surface of the patients body so that g the leveling arm is in a substantially horizontal position. With the other hand, th handle ll of the vertical measuring arm I0 is moved outwardly and vertically downward until the opening 66 of the end piece 25 is over the spot a on the patient, this spot having been made to indicate the location of'the foreign body 7, which was found by X rays by any of the methods and apparatus usuallyemployed for this purpose. Retaining'the marker 66 on the spot a, the aliening plate is again adjusted :for leveling purposes, ifnecessary, and the suction oups arethen attached to the patients body. Slight adjustments in leveling the aligning plate 41' maybe effected after the attachment of the rubber suction gups owing to the fiexibility of the cups and the flesh of the patient. After the horizontal arrangement of the aligning plate 41 andthe vertical arrangement of the vertical measuring arm ill whileretaim'ng marker opening 66 above the spot a,. and

with one hand holding the handle 49 of the al-ig ning plate, the lever BI is pressed to prevent-the horizontal arm 23 from turning or sliding within the supporting sleeve 39, and the reading on the vertical scale 22 noted. The horizontal scale. 25 is then set at zero by placing thenib 8 in contact with the plate 58', the lever, 61 released, and the handle ll moved outwardly and down- .wardly until the downward movement shows on ject from the newly made mark on the body of the patient, said dstance being in .a' plane at right angles to the plane at which the inital measurement was made. In order to obtain a measurement from a point 0 to the object fin a plane at any other angle to the plane in which the original measurement was made, itis only necessary to obtain the measurements cd and afad which equals id. The d stance of can then be found by obtaining the length or the hypothenuse of the right angle triangle fdc. 7

In order to provide for durable construction most of the parts of the device can be made of metal but any other material which will be suitable for the purpose may be used. Any part of the device which may come in contact with the surface of the skin should be made of material which is a poor heat conductor to avoid chilling the patient. V

' It will be noted that the device canbe used for either right-hand or left-hand operation, which depends'on the direction in which the horizontal leveling arm 23 is inserted into the supporting sleeve 39.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the class described comprising an aligning plate, means in connection with said plate comprising vacuum cups to effect its attachment to a body, a Supporting sleeve mounted upon said aligning plate, clutch members retained within said supporting sleeve, means for operating said clutch members, a horizontal leveling arm slidably mounted within said sleeve, a scale member mounted within said leveling arm, a vertical slide member connected to one end of said leveling arm, a vertical measuring arm slidably mounted within said slide member, a marker foot connected to the lower extremity of said vertical measuring arm, and a retractable marker mounted within said foot.

2. A device of the class described including an aligning plate, means in connection with said plate comprising vacuum cups to efiect its attachment to a body, a supporting sleeve mounted upon said aligning plate, clutch members retained within said supporting sleeve, means for operating said clutch members, a horizontal leveling arm slidably mounted within said sleeve, a spool wound measuring tape connected to a clutch member, a vertical slide member connected to one end of said leveling arm, a vertical measuring arm slidably mounted within said slide member, a marker foot connected to the lower extremity of aid vertical measuring arm, and a retractable arker mounted within said foot.

3. A device of the class described comprising a leveling slide including an aligning plate, a handle attached to said plate, means in connection with said plate adapted to effect its attachment to a body, a supporting sleeve mounted upon said aligning plate, clutching means rotatably mounted within said supporting sleeve, means for operating said clutching means, a horizontal leveling arm slidably mounted within said sleeve, a

slidable scale member mounted Within said leveling arm, a verticalslide member connected to one end of said leveling arm, a vertical measuring arm slidably mounted within said slide member, a marker foot connected to the lower extremity of said vertical measuring arm, and a retractable marker mounted within said foot.

4. A device of the class described comprising a leveling slide including an aligning plate having an adjusting handle, means in connection with said plate comprising vacuum cups to effect its attachment to a body, a supporting sleeve mounted upon said aligning plate, level indicators mounted upon said supporting sleeve, clutch members retained within said supporting sleeve, means connected with the handle for operating said clutch members, a horizontal leveling arm slidably mounted between said clutch members,'

a scale member slidably mounted within said horizontal leveling arm, a vertical slide member provided with a viewing window connected to one end of said horizontal leveling arm, a vertical measuring arm provided with an adjusting handle and slidably mounted within said slide memher, a marker foot connected to the lower extremity of said vertical measuring arm, a retractable marker mounted within said foot, and means including a Bowden wire and a bell crank lever contained within said handle and connected with said marker for operating the same.

5. A device of the class described comprising an aligning plate, means in connection with said plate to effect its attachment to a body, a handle connected to said aligning plate, said handle including side members provided with centrally aligned circular openings, supporting sleeve members attached to said side members adjacent the said sleeve, a horizontal leveling arm mounted between said clutch members, a finger operated lever pivotally mounted between said side members and adapted to control the operation of said clutch members, a vertical slide member con nected to one end of said leveling arm, a vertical measuring arm slidably mounted within said slide member, a marker foot connected to the lower extremity of said vertical measuring arm, and a retractable marker mounted within said foot. ALFRED A. or: LORIMIER. 

